ROH All Star Extravaganza VII
September 18, 2015
San Antonio Shrine Auditorium
San Antonio, Texas
Watch: ROHWrestling.com & PPV

Ring of Honor returns to PPV with ROH All Star Extravaganza VII. The primary focus of All Star Extravaganza is dual champion Jay Lethal defending both his World Television Championship against Bobby Fish, and his World Championship against Kyle O’Reilly — the two members of ROH’s dynamic reDRagon tag team. Beyond that, along with a four-way to determine the #1 contender, and a three-way for the World Tag Team titles, the Dalton Castle/Silas Young and Moose/Cedric Alexander feuds will reach their conclusions. While there may not be a storyline that is going to set the territory on fire, ROH All Star Extravaganza VII is stacked with matches that appear poised to deliver. -Aaron Bentley

Five Match Series Match #3
ACH vs. Matt Sydal

Aaron Bentley (@AaronBentleyVOW): Predictably, this series is tied at 1-1 after ACH picked up a victory in Chicago Ridge on September 12. However this particular match goes, the overall goal has to be putting over ACH. I would be fairly surprised if the series didn’t go the full five, but there are obviously different ways to get there. Since we’re on pay-per-view and in San Antonio, it only makes sense for ACH to pick up the victory. Regardless, these guys should put on a great match.

Prediction: ACH

Warren Taylor (@WarrenETaylor): The show is in Texas and ACH will be the home state favorite. He gets the win to take the lead in the series and open the show on a positive note for the fans in the Lone Star State.

Prediction: ACH

Rob Reid (@TheRDouble): Well, it’s match three in a five match series, with match four happening the following night on the TV tapings. You’ve got to think they’ll trade wins over the weekend, taking it from one apiece to two apiece, so this match’s result will depend on who they want to have the PPV win, and who they want to have the TV win. I’m thinking ACH will eventually win the series, so perhaps Sydal wins here? Does that make any sense? Being halfway through a series, the result doesn’t particularly matter. The match should be tremendous though; their Survival of the Fittest match last year was fantastic, and here on PPV you’ve got to think they’ll try to make this even better.

Prediction: Matt Sydal

??? & ??? vs. The Briscoes

Aaron Bentley: I’m slightly concerned about who is going to answer this open challenge. Adam Page has been interacting with Jay Briscoe as of late, but apparently he’s injured. The only other person to interact with Jay recently is… The Romantic Touch. ROH’s general aversion to bringing in the big indy names tells me to not get too excited about who it could be. The Briscoes have been taking on all comers to get built back up to take a shot at the tag titles, and I assume they’ll stay on that track here.

Prediction: The Briscoes

Warren Taylor: The Briscoes are on their way to a shot at the ROH World Tag Team Championships, so they get the win here.

Prediction: The Briscoes

Rob Reid: I honestly don’t have a clue who is going to accept this challenge. If it was some big names then you’d have to think they would pre-announce the match to draw some extra buys, but at the same time you don’t want to bring the crowd down with a really disappointing announcement. Storyline-wise Page & Whitmer would “make sense”— but you’d think they’d just announce that rather than having an open challenge— and that team would definitely fall into the disappointing category. Perhaps Adam Page could bring in a new name, as a new Decade member? If that’s the route they go, Corey Hollis would definitely be a good option. He’s had experience teaming with Page on the indy scene, has began to get semi-regular ROH bookings on the VOD shows, is definitely capable of putting on a great performance, and would be a far more exciting reveal than Whitmer. He also fits the bill for somebody ROH wouldn’t lose out from not promising ahead of time. As for a prediction, it’s hard to guess without having an inkling for the level of team coming in, so let’s go Briscoes to set them up for a tag title shot at Glory By Honor.

Prediction: The Briscoes

Dalton Castle’s Boys Vs. Silas Young Becoming A Boy Match
Dalton Castle vs. Silas Young

Aaron Bentley: It’s no secret that I am not the world’s biggest Dalton Castle fan, but the last match between these two was great. I am really looking forward to the in-ring portion here and not at all looking forward to the theatrics that will bookend the match. However, I will admit that there is the potential for hilarity whichever way this stipulation goes. ROH seems to really have something with Castle, based on the way the crowd reacts to him, so better to keep him strong and get some laughs at The Last Real Man’s expense.

Prediction: Dalton Castle

Warren Taylor: I’ve always wanted to see Silas Young in a humiliation angle as the ultimate payback for insulting the “un-manly” lifestyle of many males in the 21st Century: a Dalton Castle win is going to make that dream come true.

Prediction: Dalton Castle

Rob Reid: I’ve never really cared about “be opponent’s servant” stipulations, so I’m not very interested in what comes out of this match. That said, I’m looking forward to this match bell-to-bell as both of these guys consistently deliver. Castle is winning here: the boys aren’t going anywhere, as they’re too integral a part of Castle’s act.

Prediction: Dalton Castle

Cedric Alexander vs. Moose

Aaron Bentley: I happen to like old school southern-style wrestling but I may have to stop caring so much about Moose if another of his matches ends via foreign object. This match is No DQ so Veda and Stokely will, regrettably, play a part. Cedric is doing good work since his heel turn, but Moose is a star. It’s time for this program to end and for Moose to go over strong.

Prediction: Moose

Warren Taylor: I agree with Rob and Aaron, this is the match that Moose needs to win and end the feud.

Prediction: Moose

Rob Reid: I’ve made it no secret that Moose doesn’t really do a lot for me, at least not yet. Sure, there’s potential, but currently I see little outside of size, a catchy theme and a good dropkick. The way the feud has been built, it’s clear Moose is the one getting the upper hand (sadly). Cedric has stolen several wins, and this is where I see the former Atlanta Falcon finally getting the upper hand.

Prediction: Moose

ROH World Tag Team Title Match
The Addiction (c) vs. The Kingdom vs. The Young Bucks

Aaron Bentley: I’m just not interested in this. The match will be fun because almost every match involving The Bucks is fun: but it has no juice. Additionally, the three-way and four-way tag match has become like a disease on every single wrestling card. I’d rather just see any two of these teams in a singles match, as long as neither of them is The Kingdom. It feels like it’s time for a title change, but I don’t see The Bucks doing the job in the future so that would leave only Bennett & Taven to emerge victorious. On ROH TV this week, Kevin Kelly made note of the fact that War Machine beat a team that would be in this match when they beat The Kingdom. Perhaps ROH will use The Kingdom as transitional champs to give the belts to War Machine before Rowe & Hanson inevitably feud with The Briscoes.

Prediction: The Kingdom

Warren Taylor: As long as this is a spring/spotfest hybrid than it will be golden. The Addiction are going to get the cheap win to continue building their karmic debt for the day that War Machine manhandles them both.

Prediction: The Addiction

Rob Reid: The Addiction vs. Young Bucks would have been so much of a more interesting match. I’m not a big Kingdom fan, but that’s not even a slight on them- rather the nature of a three-way tag match, compared to its standard form. Sure, this’ll probably be a fun little spotfest— most multi-team tags are— but you kind of take away any potential for a real high end match. I think this is just a way of giving the Addiction another win and keeping the titles in a holding pattern, before what I assume will be an eventual big match with the Briscoes. I still think the ultimate plan is to have War Machine win the straps (who are over with NOAH at the moment), and the obvious routes for that would be against a long reigning Addiction; or the Briscoes, who they’ve been rivals with ever since they started teaming. Neither of those scenarios involve a title change here.

Prediction: The Addiction

ROH World Title #1 Contendership Four Corner Survival Match
Adam Cole vs. AJ Styles vs. Michael Elgin vs. Roderick Strong

Aaron Bentley: The winner of this match may depend on the winner of the Lethal/O’Reilly matchup. You can eliminate Roddy and Styles off the top since Roddy just had two title shots and Styles is a New Japan guy, as Rob explains below. If Lethal is going to win later, Elgin or Cole make sense but Elgin has already started cutting promos on Lethal. However, Cole as the winner makes much more sense if O’Reilly leaves ASE as champion. ROH could obviously make hay of the newly reunited friends having to fight each other for championship gold. Of course, no matter who wins, striking while the iron is hot with #BigMike Elgin also has value. I don’t want to bury my final prediction here but I think the former leader of The Kingdom becomes the #1 contender.

Prediction: Adam Cole

Warren Taylor: Jay Lethal is in the midst of a story where his pride is getting the better of him and he is barely surviving as a double champion. His next challenger needs to be physically imposing and someone he has excellent chemistry with in the ring. Only one man fits that bill: Michael Elgin

Prediction: #BigMike

Rob Reid: There’s a hell of a lot of talent in this match, and if everything clicks this could be really special. This match is very similar to last year’s Field of Honor main event— just take out Briscoe, and sub in Roddy— and that was a great match, so I’m optimistic at the very least. As for who wins, you easily could make an argument for Cole, Styles or Elgin here, and Roddy too if you were stretching. A lot depends on where the winner is going to get the title shot. Either Styles or a newly face Cole would make a great Final Battle title challenger, while Elgin’s challenge would probably be better suited to the slightly lower level show Glory By Honor. I’m really not too sure, but if I eliminate Strong due to just getting two shots, and Styles due to his New Japan commitments making it complicated for him to lose; then it comes down to Cole and Elgin. I think I’ll plump for Elgin pinning Strong as he’s had multiple promos about coming back after Lethal, but I’m far from sure.

Prediction: Michael Elgin

ROH World Television Title Match
Jay Lethal (c) vs. Bobby Fish

Aaron Bentley: Since several of these finishes are intertwined, I’m either going to look like a visionary or an idiot after this card occurs. If O’Reilly is going to win the big prize, I like the story that Lethal has enough to overcome Bobby Fish to retain his Television title but not quite enough to handle Fish and finish the job against O’Reilly. I don’t like the idea of having my World Champion lose to Bobby Fish on pay-per-view, nor do I like the idea of having Kyle O’Reilly come up short against a guy who is wrestling his second match of the night and already lost to a competitor who is below O’Reilly on the totem pole. My predicted finish also leaves open the possibility of telling the story that Lethal is overconfident coming into the main event, having dispatched of Fish.

Prediction: Jay Lethal

Warren Taylor: Bobby Fish would be an excellent ROH Television Champion. He is good in the ring and is a well traveled veteran that the young guns in the division could learn from. Right now is not the right time for him to win the belt, though. Jay Lethal is just beginning his story as the overworked champion and I foresee his double title defense gimmick going a few more months.

Prediction: Jay Lethal

Rob Reid: I like Bobby Fish a lot, and on paper this sounds like a great match, but on this current ROH run almost all of his singles matches have been a disappointment. Hopefully on this big stage the trend is bucked and this delivers. Lethal is on a real hot run; and with this only being half of his duties tonight, this’ll probably end up under the twenty minute mark, which’ll help prevent a tendency some of his longer matches have to have filler in the middle. I think Fish might win here; I definitely think it’s more likely than his partner gaining a strap on the night. It just makes sense to me that Lethal would lose the TV title before the World title, and Fish is as good a candidate as any.

Prediction: Bobby Fish

ROH World Title Match
Jay Lethal (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Aaron Bentley: Look, I don’t like it at all. Anyone who reads my ROH TV reviews knows that I don’t think Kyle O’Reilly is the right guy to beat Lethal to become World Champion. I don’t think it’s the right time and I don’t think it’s the right guy. Lethal has not been booked very well as champion but he still has the ability to turn it around and have an all-time great ROH World title run. However, with O’Reilly having beaten Lethal twice and Lethal having to wrestle twice in one night, it’s hard to imagine the champ walking out with the title. There is the possibility that the House of Truth gets involved. There is also the possibility that ROH decides to start booking Lethal very strongly and he just goes over two good competitors in one night. I would not be against the latter scenario: but everything together makes me think Kyle O’Reilly leaves San Antonio as Ring of Honor World Champion.

Prediction: Kyle O’Reilly

Warren Taylor: An O’Reilly title win would feel rushed. Jay Lethal is in the middle of a great work rate and character run. While he’s hot I think ROH should ride him for as long as possible to ensure that whoever beats him for one of the belts gets a major rub along the way. So, in my opinion, Lethal retains.

Prediction: Jay Lethal

Rob Reid: Had this match happened at Final Battle, I’d have been calling a title change. O’Reilly seemed like a logical next World Champion for ROH, and was a natural candidate for Lethal to drop to; due to Kyle being built up as Lethal’s Kryptonite even before he beat Briscoe for the title. Now though? I think it’s just a little too soon for Lethal to drop, so I’m going for Lethal retaining, although I don’t think a title change is completely out of the realm of possibility. As for the match itself I’m very much looking forward to it. If it doesn’t go excessively long, and stays relatively unmuddied by interference, then we could have a real classic on our hands. I’m not overly confident that either of those provisos will hold true, but a guy can hope.

Prediction: Jay Lethal